Bikesafe.

[Steve1200S]

The other weekend I was stunned and amazed as when me, my dad, my bro and about 4 cars where trapped behind a lorry on a winding narrow A road, out of nowhere a Police rider just slowly and effortlessly overtook the lot of us!

I'd have considered it a very poor place to overtake, but at no point did he (or She) make it looked rushed or dangerous.

Now I hate overtaking, it always seems seat of the pants and too fast, followed by harsh braking as I pull back into the line of traffic (prob me being too keen with the K12s 'hyperdrive'!) while I panic the whole way through...

So, I've booked myself on a Bikesafe day next month to see how it's done!

Anyone else been on one? I've read a lot of good reviews, so hoping for a good day!

[Blackal]

Not been on a bikesafe course, but have had the pleasure of extended rides in the company of a police motorcyclist...............

I howled when he came to a halt on an uphill track, lost his footing...... and the falling bike launched him through a hedge

Al

[slparry]

Everyone should do a bike safe course no matter what the experience levels. It's very good to have your riding assessed. Also take a look at the DSA enhanced rider scheme, that too is a good 1 on 1 assessment

[Joe Bar]

I've done BikeSafe and would recommend it to anyone. I did mine in Leicester, but I think you'll be in good hands in South Yorkshire as I know they are very enthusiastic and supportive of the scheme.

Time I went on another really.

[dave the german]

[quote="Blackal"]Not been on a bikesafe course, but have had the pleasure of extended rides in the company of a police motorcyclist...............

I howled when he came to a halt on an uphill track, lost his footing...... and the falling bike launched him through a hedge

Al [/quote

I think I may have followed the same rider out of Moffat once - how he sat at 29.9 mph until the national speed limit sign I'll never know

[tanneman]

I did the full Bike Safe course over the stretch of 4 weeks with Harts&Beds Police. One day a week with exam. I read the whole book (police motorcyclists handbook or something) and the highway code. Very good and informative. Did my assessment and had positive comments from the copper. Overall a good experience.

Overtaking is a maneuver that needs some practice to get it done safely and quickly. A powerful 4 cylinder bike needs a bit more care than the 11S, likewise for the weezeliy machines where more forward planning is needed.
Some tips
1) stay about 2 sec from the vehicle in front to give good visibility around the object.
2) move side to side to see where the road goes like when in LH corner and to spot your space where you are going to pull in after the maneuver. By this I mean use the whole road to your advantage and don't weave like an idiot. It is not unsafe to cross over to the other lane when in a LH corner or a straight road provided you can get back into your lane when a vehicle approaches. It helps with visibility and planning and puts you in an overtaking position.
3) when an opportunity is spotted move closer (overtaking position) and select the right gear. Usually revs should be in mid to just above mid range for best acceleration and also to not run out of revs during the maneuver.
4) check rear view mirror, indicate, pull out, check road is clear, accelerate hard. They recon a 20% increase in speed is all that is needed to overtake safely and quickly and allow you to pull back in.
5) as you past the vehicle roll off the throttle and move into your selected space.

I'm not trying to teach you to suck eggs, most of the forum members has been biking long before I was a twinkle in my dads eye but it is just an example of what you learn. There is plenty of time to ask questions on the course and some diagrams with the explanation is given. The problem is that you need to refresh every so often as bad habits creep back. So this year I'm looking at doing my IAM.

[ned1]

I am a full member of the IAM and joined for the same reason.
Some years ago I was overtaken by five police riders training on the same bike as me K100rs
but there was no way I could match them so I joined the IAM and never looked back.

Ned

[Gromit]

Never heard a bad word said about BikeSafe.

I did the IAM thing back in 1988 but never had any further training until I had a one-to-one day with Andy Morrison of Rapid Training when I had my BCR (2006 I think). One of the things we concentrated on that day was overtaking - learnt an incredible amount from him, and it's amazing how much more progress can be made once you get the 'knack'.

[JamesL]

+1 here, definitely worthwhile. Did mine with Warks (now discontinued), Glos & Oxford still current.

Ludicrously cheap for the value. Course concentrated on overtaking & corners; half the point of overtaking is where not to attempt it - like opposite / beside any sort of turn or layby. And by the end you've been concentrating so hard for so long you're wrecked (or maybe I have a small brain ).

Like others, I ought to sign up for a refresher.

J

[el-nicko]

Overtaking and turning right are, apparently, the two most dangerous motoring maneuvers. I can vouch for that. Back in '68 I almost had my left foot amputated whilst zipping down the outside of a line of traffic on me Thruxton Bonnie. I was intending to turn right up ahead but someone had left a gap for a transit van to pull out of a street on the left to make (for him) a right turn. I woke up in the ambulance so I must have been 'out cold' for quite a while. It didn't half 'smart I can tell you.

[The Teutonic Tangerine]

A Cautionary Note: I recently attended a driver alertness; course see another thread about insurance and writing off my car. It was very thought provoking and I now get 59MPG out of my car instead of 49 due to better forward observation and less agressive acceleration. And I would not descry any additinal training but beware:

I know of two riders who joined a group of advanced riders and passed at ROSPA Gold standard and then gave up riding because they were now not enjoyying their riding but worrying wether they were follwoing the rule book properly or not, they go so hung up on whether they had ridden a piece of road using the right positioning that they forgot to have any fun at all.

So make sure you know what you are signing up for and keep a sense of reality - otherwise te sam fate may befall you

[f90x]

Back in '68

[slparry]

A Cautionary Note: I recently attended a driver alertness; course see another thread about insurance and writing off my car. It was very thought provoking and I now get 59MPG out of my car instead of 49 due to better forward observation and less agressive acceleration. And I would not descry any additinal training but beware:

I know of two riders who joined a group of advanced riders and passed at ROSPA Gold standard and then gave up riding because they were now not enjoyying their riding but worrying wether they were follwoing the rule book properly or not, they go so hung up on whether they had ridden a piece of road using the right positioning that they forgot to have any fun at all.

So make sure you know what you are signing up for and keep a sense of reality - otherwise te sam fate may befall you

I know exactly what you mean, luckily on occasions I just throw caution to the wind and act like a teenage hooligan again .... whilst still trying to be polite to others of course

[el-nicko]

I know exactly what you mean, luckily on occasions I just throw caution to the wind and act like a teenage hooligan again .... whilst still trying to be polite to others of course

My sediments too Steve.

[Bender]

Controversial maybe, but I think it (or something similar) should be compulsory.

Having the knowledge is one thing, choosing how you ride afterwards is quite another.

There's an account of when I took mine in issue 167 of The Rider's Digest, on page 59...

http://www.theridersdigest.co.uk/167toc.html